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The following was submitted by the Middlesex District Attorney's Office:

Empowering students to speak up to help those in need was the theme of the top five student videos in the fifth annual PSA Project hosted by Middlesex District Attorney Marian Ryan and Middlesex Partnerships for Youth, Inc.

More than 200 students worked on the 50 videos submitted for consideration in the annual contest. District Attorney Ryan announces today that five finalists have been selected. The finalists are from: Lexington High School, Melrose High School, Nashoba Valley Regional Technical High School, and Somerville High School (two). The videos can be viewed online at www.middlesexda.com.

“This year’s project was all about encouraging our youth to find their voice – by standing up for their peers, calling out someone who is a bully, and preventing violence or abuse by talking to someone they trust,” District Attorney Ryan said. “It is so wonderful to see so many of our youth creating these important videos – we know that teens listen to each other and all of these videos share that vital message of speaking up. No one should ever feel silenced whether they or someone they know needs help. We hope these videos will continue this important dialogue in our schools.”

Middlesex County middle and high school students will view the finalists and vote during school assemblies to select the winner. The winning video will air on a Boston television station.

The District Attorney’s PSA Project, created in conjunction with Middlesex Partnerships for Youth, Inc., was launched in 2009 to spark a positive dialogue and encourage teens to speak out about important issues affecting youth, including healthy relationships, substance abuse, and impaired driving.

All entries were viewed and finalists were selected by a panel of school personnel, law enforcement officials, and members of the Middlesex District Attorney’s Office. The five PSA finalists will now be shown to middle and high school students throughout Middlesex County in classrooms and assemblies where students will cast their votes to select the winner. Following student voting, the PSA Project winner will be announced in mid-June.

The first PSA Project in 2009 focused on teen dating violence and the winner was created and produced by students from Somerville High School. After the first year’s success, the PSA Project continued in 2010 with a focus on teen impaired driving. The 2010 winning PSA was created and produced by a student at Lowell High School. And in 2011, two students from Lexington High School won after they submitted their PSA on cyber safety. Lexington High School was a repeat winner in 2012 for a PSA on the dangers of sexting called “I Respect Myself.”

The Middlesex District Attorney’s Office has a proud tradition of protecting and serving the people of Middlesex County through tough, fair prosecutions and proactive, progressive prevention and intervention efforts. The mission of the Office of the Middlesex District Attorney is to protect and serve the public, fight for victims, and speak for those who otherwise would have no voice.

Middlesex County is the largest county in Massachusetts and one of the largest counties in the country with 54 towns and cities and 26 colleges in urban, suburban, and rural areas, comprising over one quarter of the population of Massachusetts. The Middlesex District Attorney’s Office has offices throughout the county, including communities such as Ayer, Cambridge, Concord, Framingham, Lowell, Malden, Marlborough, Natick, Newton, Somerville, Waltham and Woburn.